Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Nov-Dec;64(6):929-34.
doi: 10.5014/ajot.2010.09005.

Chronometry of mentally versus physically practiced tasks in people with stroke

Affiliations

Chronometry of mentally versus physically practiced tasks in people with stroke

Andy J Wu et al. Am J Occup Ther. 2010 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronometry is appropriate for monitoring engagement in mental practice by comparing the time taken for people with chronic stroke to mentally and physically practice five tasks.

Method: Eighteen stroke participants mentally and physically rehearsed each task. Time was recorded for each of the three trials per task.

Results: Participants required significantly more time to physically practice than to mentally practice tasks (all p < .05). A significantly greater amount of time for mental practice of the more-affected arm than for the less-affected arm was also observed (p < .01).

Conclusion: Because there was no agreement between the time taken to mentally and physically practice the tasks, chronometry does not appear to be valid for monitoring mental practice in this population.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bakker FC, Boschker MS, Chung T. Changes in muscular activity while imagining weight lifting using stimulus or response propositions. Journal of Sport Exercise Physiology. 1996;18(3):313–324.
    1. Bohannon RW, Smith MB. Interrater reliability of a modified Ashworth scale of muscle spasticity. Phys Ther. 1987;67(2):206–207. - PubMed
    1. Crosbie JH, McDonough SM, Gilmore DH, Wiggam MI. The adjunctive role of mental practice in the rehabilitation of the upper limb after hemiplegic stroke: a pilot study. Clin Rehabil. 2004;18(1):60–68. - PubMed
    1. Decety J, Jeannerod M. Mentally simulated movements in virtual reality: does Fitts's law hold in motor imagery? Behav Brain Res. 1995;72(1–2):127–134. - PubMed
    1. Decety J, Jeannerod M, Prablanc C. The timing of mentally represented actions. Behav Brain Res. 1989;34(1–2):35–42. - PubMed

Publication types